Heat-insulated container



G. P. ALTENBERG.

HEAT INSULATED CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1918.

1 3 9U, 227, Patented Sept. 6, 1921..

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

G. P. ALTENBERG.

HEAT INSULATED CONTAINER. APPLICATION FILED JUNEZO, 1918,

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE P. ALTENBERG, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ICY-HOT BOTTLE COMPANY, OF GIN'CINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

HEAT-INSULATED CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921..

Application filed June 20, 1918. Serial No. 240,979.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. ALTENBERG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heat-Insulated Containers, of which the following is a specification My invention relates to vacuum heat-insulated containers, especially to containers in which the walls of the heat-insulating space are composed wholly or chiefly of metal.

It is the object of my invention to provide a vacuum heat-insulated container in which the walls having the heat-insulated space between them are reinforced b reinforcing means applied to the respective walls and spaced from the opposite walls of said space; further, to provide a container of the character mentioned havin an inner member suspended and spaced from an outer member, said members being connected at their mouth-ends and the outer member having bracing means at its mouth-end spaced from the mouth-end of the inner member.

lit is the object of my invention, further, to provide novel sealing means for the spacebetween the members in a container of the character mentioned; further, to provide novel means whereby to close a heat-insulated container of the character mentioned, and whereby the containers are arranged to be stacked one on top of the other; further, to provide novel carrying means for a container of the character mentioned; and, fur ther, to reinforce and to coat the inner walls of the heat-insulated space in novel manner; and the invention will be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device, showing the same in connected relation and arranged for carriage by means of a tumpline or a pole.

Fig. 2 is an axial section of my improved device. superposed in stacked relation on a lower container, the u )per end of the latter being shown in side e ovation.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of my improved device-partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of my im roved device with the cover removed and t e top web of the r-ontainer partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is anenlarged axial section taken in the plane of the line 5--5 of Fig. 2, show- 111%i3h8 sealing means.

1g. 6 is a detail of the clampingmeans shownin side elevation; and,

Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the same, taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.-

The present invention relates particularly to containers for containing food in quantity for war purposes, the quantities ranging in practice usually from five to ten gallons, although the same may be of greater or less capacity and employed .for other purposes.

The container comprises an inner member 10 and an outer member'll, the lateral walls of which are instanced as cylindrical in form, or substantially so. The members have a heat-insulating space 12 between the same.

The inner member is provided with a bottom 13 and the outer member has a bottom 14, the mouth-ends of the members being connected by a web 15.

he members are preferably formed of metal, for instance, soft cold rolled sheet steel, the space between the members being hermetically sealed, forwhich purpose the mouth-ends of the members and the web 15 are instanced as connected or joined together at 16, 17, as by joints fused by an oxyacetylene flame.

The res ective members are preferably reinforced intermediate of their ends, as by means of rings, the inner face of the outer member being instanced as provided with rings 21, which are secured to said outer member, as by being welded thereto by an oxyacetylene flame or electric spot welding, and the outer face of the inner member is instanced as having rings 22 received thereabout, also preferably secured to the inner member, as by welding of the character mentioned. The rings are preferably metal rings, there being preferably a plurality of rings for each of the members.

The rings are located in the heat-insulating space between the inner and outer members, the heat-insulation being accomplished preferably in whole or in part by rarefymg said space or creating a vacuum, either whole or partial in said space. The presence of the vacuum causes pressure against. the walls of the space, the pressure against the outer wall being inward and against the inner wall being outward. The rings in my improved device are placed against those sides of the walls toward which the tendency to collapse is exerted, so as to resist the collapsing tendency and provide reinforcement for the walls in such manner that a connection between said walls in said space may be avoided.

In order to resist an axial relative movement between the inner and outer members, I provide the web with braces 24 connecting the wall of the heat-insulating space, this connection being instan'ced as had with the outer wall 11, the connection of the web with the wall being preferably by means of welding of the character hereinbefore mentioned. The brace is preferably spaced by a space 25 from the inner Wall.

The construction is preferably such that the connection and support of the inner member is solely through the medium of the cross-web, so as to provide a minimum amount of metal or other heat-transferring material between the inner member and the outer member, in order to reduce the medium through which heat transference may take place to the minimum.

The bottom of the outer member is preferably provided with an an indentation 26 extending upwardly and having connection with the outer portion of said bottom by means of an annular raised portion 27 for forming the bottom in such manner as to aid in resisting collapse. The bottom may further be dished inwardly. A sealing means. identified generally by the numeral 28, is received in the cavity 29 formed by the indented portions of the bottom.

In the present exemplification, the sealing means is instanced as comprising a thimble 31 received in an annular flange 32 formed up from the body of the bottom, the thimble being secured in said flange, as by welding of the manner hereinbefore mentioned. An opening is thus provided in the bottom. A

nipple 34 is secured in said thimble, as by providing the thimble and nipple with coacting threads 35 and preferably also by soldering the parts together.

A sealing-off tube 36 is provided. This tube is preferably of glass. A connection 37, instanced as a short section of hose, is located between the nipple and the tube. This connection is preferably made of a substantiall pure rubber or vacuum retaining materia preferably resilient. The joint between the hose and the nipple is preferably made air-tight, as by providing a film of suitable shellac between the nipple and the inner wall of the hose which, upon har dcning, forms a seal between the nipple and the hose. the wall of the passage in the hose is similarly treated so as to form a seal between said tube and the hose.

The air in the space 12 is rarefied, that is,

The joint between the tube andlapses as indicated at 33, by reason of the presence of the vaccum therein, for sealing the tube and the space between the members of the container, whereupon the portion of the tube beyond the collapsed and sealed .part is removed. This sealing may take place without injuring said joints or connection 37. The construction permits ready removal of the outer portions of the sealing means for recreating the vacuum when the same has become ineffective, the renewal and recreating of the vacuum being simply and expeditiously accomplished even in the field or behind the battlelines.

The sealing means are located in the cavity 29. In order to properly protect the sealin means, I provide a bottom plate 41, the e ge of which is received in the annular rabbet-27 and secured therein by means of suitable bolts 42 suitably secured to the bottom of the outer vessel, as by being received through suitable apertures in said bottom, which are in turn closed by sealing said bolts in said openings, as'by welding of the manner hereinbefore mentioned. The bolts pass through openin s in the bottom plate and nuts 43 are received about the outer ends of .the bolts for securing the bottom plate in place. The bottom plate is provided with a. depression 44 received about the sealing means.

I have found that in order to create and maintain a high vacuum, it is necessary that the walls of the vacuum be in clean state to prevent the creation or presence of gases or material which would be detrimental to the vacuum. For this purpose I provide the outer face of the wall of the inner member and the inner face of the wall of the outer -member, respectively, with coactings 45, 46,

receive their coatings simultaneously with,

' the balance of the inner face of said member or wall. Thereinforce rings 22 are preferably coated at the same time that the outer surface of the inner number is coated. After the inner face of the outer member and the outer face of the inner member have been coated, they are preferably assembled by joining the neck-ends thereof.

A removable can 51 is received within the inner member and is arranged to directly contain the substance to be received in the container, for permitting ready removal of the substance and preventing injury to the inner member. This can is preferably provided near its mouth-end with inner liftin rings 52, which are pivoted to the inner wall of the can, as by means of clips 53. A top 54 is received over the open end of the can and is preferably located within the heatinsulated container when the parts are assembled.

The vacuum heat-insulated container is provided with a cover 56, this cover comprising an outer wall 57 and a top plate 58, and a bottom plate 59, there being a space 60 between said wall and plates. This space is preferably provided with heat insulation, accomplished in the present exemplification by means of filling said space with a body 61 of cellular heat-resisting composition, comprising, for instance, a vegetable fiber or fibrous substance, as straw, hay, hemp or flax fibers, and mineral fibrous material, instanced as asbestos, mineral wool or the like, the cellular heat-resisting material being placed either in block form or otherwise in the space in the cover, the wall, top and bottom of the cover being suitably connected as by welding of the character hereinbefore mentioned;

The bottom of the cover is provided near its peripheral edge with an annular groove vide suitablehooks-tlti, exemplified as pivoted on pins 67 to the container, the pins being secured, as by riveting, to plates 68, secured as by welding of the character hereinbefore mentioned, to the outer member. The plates 68 and braces 24 are preferably secured opposite each other to opposite faces of the outer member. The book has a bearing 69 about the pin and is heldthereon by means of a washer 70, and a suitable cotter-pin 71 received through an opening in the pin. The hook has a cam-face 72 which rides upon a pin 73 on the cover, the latter pin being suitably secured, as by riveting, to a plate 74 secured as by welding of the character hereinbefore mentioned, to the peripheral wall of the cover. The pin 73' is provided with a flange 75, the cam-face of the hook riding upon the pin between said flange and the plate 74-. The hook is provided with a thumb-piece 76 for readily clamping and unclamping the same.

The containers with the covers thereon are preferably so arranged that a number of the same may be stacked one on top of the other. For this purpose I provide the periphery of the bottom portion of the container with a supporting ring 81, which is secured to the outer member of the container in suitable manner, as by welding of the character hereinbefore mentioned. This supporting ring extends below the normal bottom of the outer member, this extending part being arranged to be received about the periphery of the upper portion of the cover of a heat-insulated container thereunder, the upper container resting on the cover of the container next therebelow, this construction preventing lateral displacement of containers or tipping ofcontainers. The upper edges of the plates 74 are located on the cover sufficiently low to accommodate the supporting ring 81 above the same.

For aiding in read carryingof the heatinsulated container, T provide the same with handles 83 pivoted to the container by means of pins 84 extending through bearings 85 of bearing-pieces 86, the bearingpieces being secured to the body of the container, as by means of welding the same thereto in manner hereinbefore described. The welding of the plates 68, 74, 86, to the parts which support them, preferably takes place prior to the assembling of the cover and body respectively. The carrying rings are sufficiently broad to readily receive the hands of the carrier, and sufiiciently long to extend substantially above the cover when the parts are assembled, so that the same may be readily carried by a single person.

In order to provide ease of carrying. the handles are provided with a tumpline 87, the ends of the tuinpline being releasably received about the handles, as by means of strap-ends 88 and buckles 89, the tuinpline being adjustable as by a buckle 90. The hooks and handles are so related that the median space between the handles is free of obstruction, so that the same may rest against the back of the carrier with the tumpline arranged across his forehead, without the annoyance of having projecting parts contacting the body of the carrier.

The handles are also extended above the cover, when assembled on the body of the container, to substantial extent for receiving a carrying pole, instancedat 91, so that successive heat-insulated containers may be carried by a series of carriers, the intermediate carriers carrying the rear end of the pole of a preceding container and the front end of a pole of a following container, as when carrying heat-insulated containers through communicating or other trenches.

The outer surface of the container may be provided with a coating 93, and the outer surface of the cover may be provided with a coating 94. These coatings may be a suitable enamel.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new-and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A vacuum heatinsulated container comprising in combination a double-walled vessel having vacuum heat-insulating space between the walls of said vessel, a reinforcing ring in said space fixed at one of its sides to one of said walls and spaced from the other of said walls for reinforcing said firstnamed wall, and a coating received over all the other sides of said ring and said wall which aids in maintaining the vacuum.

2. A vacuum heat-insulated container comprising in combination an inner member and an outer member having a vacuum heat-insulating space between the same, a web connecting the mouth-ends of said members, and bracing means inside said vacuum heatinsulating space, said bracing means extending from one of said members undersaid web for aiding in the support of the other of said members, said bracing means and said web forming the sole supports of said inner member, the surfaces of said members in said space and said bracing means provided with a coating which aids in maintaining the vacuum. I

3. A heat-insulated container comprising in combination an inner member and an outer member having a heat-insulating space between them, a web connecting the mouthends of said members, a cover, braces in said space between said outer member and said web, -and clamping means between said outer member and said cover, said braces and clampin means secured opposlte each other to opposite sides of said outer member.

4. A vacuum heat-insulated container comprlsing 1n combinatlon an inner member and an outer member having a vacuum heat-1nsulating space between them, a web connecting the mouth-ends of said members, and braces in said space for said web secured to said outer member, the inner ends of said braces spaced from said inner member, and the sole support of said inner member in said outer member being by means of said web which is in turn supported by said braces from said outer member.

5. A vacuum heat-insulated container comprising in combination an inner member and an outer member having a vacuum heat-insulating space between them, a web connecting the mouth-ends of said members, braces in said space for said web secured to said outer member, the inner ends of said braces spaced from said inner member, and the sole support of said inner member in said outer member being by means of said web which is in turn supported by said braces from said outer member, and reinforcing rings in said space secured respectively to said inner member and said outer member but spaced from the other of said members.

6. A vacuum heat-insulated container comprising in combination an inner member and an outer member having a vacuum heat-insulating space between them, a web connecting the mouth-ends of said members, braces in said space for said web secured to said outer member, the inner ends of said braces spaced from said inner member, and the sole support of said inner member in said outer member being by means of said web which is in turn supported by said braces from said outer member, and reinforcing rings in said space secured respectively to said inner member and said outer member but spaced from the other of said members, the surfaces of said members in said space and said braces and rings provided with an electro deposited coating which aids in maintaining the vacuum in said space.

7. In combination, a vacuum heat-insulated container comprising in combination an inner member and an outer member connected at the mouth-ends of said members and having a vacuum heat-insulating space between them, a cover for said container, and clamping means between said cover and said container, said clamping means being spaced from the upper end of said cover, the lower end of said container provided with a supporting ring extending below the bottom of said container, and said sup orting ring arranged to be received about t e outside of the cover and in said space above the clamping means of a container therebelow when said containers are stacked one above the other.

8. In a vacuum heat-insulated container, the combination of an inner member and an outer member connected at the mouth-ends of said members and having a vacuum heatinsulating space between them, said members comprising bodies of metal, the wall of said nee aar space provided with a passage, a fusible tube, and a resilient part provided with a passage, said resilient part having connection with said wall and with said tube whereby said passages and the passage in said tube are in registry with each other, and arranged whereby to exhaust the air in said. space through said passages, and for closing said passage in said tube to retain the vacuum in said space.

9. In a vacuum heat-insulated container, the combination of an inner member and an outer member connected at the mouth-ends of said members and having a vacuum heatinsulating space between them, said members comprising bodies of metal, a cover for said container, the bottom of said outer vessel having a'raised portion for forming a cavity thereunder, and sealing means in said cavity for sald space, the lower end of said container provided with a supporting ring extending below said bottom, and said supporting ring arranged to be received about the cover of a container therebelow with saidcavity above said last-named cover when said contalners are stacked one above theother.

10. In a vacuum heat-insulated container,

the combination oi: an inner member and an outer member connected at the mouth-ends oi said members and having a vacuum heattending below the bottom of said container,

said supporting ring arranged to be received about the cover of a container therebelow when said containers are stacked one above the other, said outer member having handles pivoted thereto at opposite sides thereof, said handles provided with gripping means arranged to have a tump-line secured thereto and for receiving a carrying pole extending across and above said cover therethrough, said handles arranged to be swung downwardly out of the way of said supporting ring of a container stacked above the same.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GrEORGE P. ALTENBERG,

Witnesses:

J, G. DE Fossn'r, TnnnnsA'M. Srnnnn. 

